The present invention relates to a wound dressing and in particular a wound dressing for application to the sacrum of a patient.
Conventional wound dressings are usually planar, rectangular, square or shaped and may be cut into various shapes to enable them to be more easily applied to a body surface.
However, it is sometimes difficult for such dressings to be applied to contoured body areas of a patient, especially if those contours include a deep cleft, without creasing or wrinkling the skin of the patient, the dressing or both. This is particularly the case where the dressing is provided with an adhesive coating over some or all of its body facing surface. Furthermore, even if creasing or wrinkling can be avoided, if the body surface to which the dressing is to be applied is contoured then it can be difficult and time consuming to apply the dressing in an accurate manner over the contours.
European Patent No. 0768071 discloses a dressing especially for sacral wounds in which the dressing is indented with a pattern of lines or grooves in the distal surface of the dressing to form a grid for measuring the wound and also to assist application of the dressing. The indentations make it easier to bend the dressing. There is however a limitation with such dressings in that the dressing must be made from a material in which it is possible to make indentations, for example, a hydrocolloid containing adhesive layer.
For some wounds it is desirable to use alternative materials or additional materials to an adhesive mass in order to tailor the properties of the dressing to the wound and such materials may not allow folding of the dressing in the manner envisaged in the prior art.
For example, it may be desirable to make a wound dressing with a high fluid handling capacity for use as a dressing for highly exudating wounds such as those found on the sacrum. Such a wound dressing may need to be capable of handling, for example, at least 6 g of exudate per 10 cm2 of dressing in 24 hours, and be able to resist appreciable maceration of the skin surrounding the wound and not allow the wound to become desiccated. In the past such dressings included a foam as the absorbent. However, foams are less able to perform, if necessary, when under pressure, such as the weight of the patient, than absorbents which absorb and retain exudate. For such a dressing it may be desirable to use a fibrous absorbent as an additional layer in the dressing. Such a layer needs to be relatively close to the wound in order to function.